Former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and his wife Peggy are hosting a debate watching party tonight for Mitt Romney supporters. (Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)

Some of the bold-face names in Colorado social circles — Greg Maffei, Larry Mizel and Doug Robinson — are helping host a Romney debate watching party tonight at the home of former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.

Special guests are U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Marco Rubio and Colorado’s own Rich Beeson, Mitt Romney’s victory political director.

Romney and President Barack Obama square off tonight in their first debate, at the University of Denver, at 7 p.m.

The cost to attend tonight’s gala ranges range from $50,000 a couple to $2,500 a person, depending on what the person signs up for. The higher price range gets the Romney supporter into a breakfast with the presidential candidate Thursday morning at the home of Diane and Charlie Gallagher in Cherry Hills Village.

But that’s not the only odd couple: the other hosts are former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart, a Democrat, and former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong, a Republican. Among the special guests: Republican Dick Wadhams, who worked on Wayne Allard’s successful Senate campaign, and Mike Stratton, who worked on the campaign for Allard’s opponent, Tim Strickland.

The event Tuesday night at the Denver Press Club is billed as “The Odd Couples” and “an unlikely meetings of the minds.”

State Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, and former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff at the 7th Congressional District debate in Arvada Thursday. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post)

Andrew Romanoff, former speaker of the Colorado House, has been everywhere on the campaign trail it seems and now he’s bringing his political knowledge to the University of Denver.

The Denver Democrat will explore the intersection of money, politics and public policy in his seminar “The Rising Price of American Democracy.” Guests include Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a Denver Republican, and former Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, a Denver Democrat. For information on the classes, which begin next week, click here.

These days, Romanoff is providing commentary for 9News about the 7th Congressional District race. He sent out a fundraising appeal for congressional candidate Sal Pace of Pueblo. He walked precincts with Congressman Ed Perlmutter. He’ll be at a fundraiser for Rep. Daniel Kagan on Saturday.

With the conclusion of both the Republican and Democratic conventions, political eyes now shift toward the first presidential debate Oct. 3 at the University of Denver.

Among just a handful of swing states, Colorado is one of two — the other is Nevada — here in the West that both President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are vying heavily to win in their quest for 270 electoral votes.

Join us Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium of The Denver Post for a panel discussion that explores “How The West Will Be Won: Issues That Will Swing a Swing State.”

Panelists will include:

Michael Cortes, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, professional training in public policy analysis and community organizing, teaches social welfare and policy development courses, research interests include public policy advocacy and issues related to diversity and inclusion, former V.P. of National Council of La Raza.

Susan Daggett, Interim Director University of Denver Sturm College of Law Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, former commissioner of Denver Water, founding board member of Greenprint Denver, with experience working for Earthjustice and in energy-related advocacy.

Richard “Dick” Lamm, Co-Director University of Denver Institute for Public Policy Studies, served three terms as Colorado Governor from 1975-1987, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including “Hard Choices in Public Policy” and “Medical Policy.”

Colorado, the “swingiest of the swing states,” was on center stage this week as a panel in Washington looked its politics and demographics before the upcoming presidential debate at the University of Denver on Oct. 3.

All eyes on Colorado.

“This year Colorado has the potential to change the presidential election,” said Rowena Alegria, spokeswoman for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who delivered the welcome.

The panelists included DU professors, Dick Wadhams, former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, and Guy Cecil, who helped Democrat Michael Bennet win the U.S. Senate race in 2010. Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary for President Clinton moderated the panel, which met Monday. The discussion, which lasted an hour, included talk about immigration, voter turnout and whether debates change people’s minds. The discussion can be viewed on C-SPAN.

Wadhams said it’s a “myth” that Colorado used to be a reliably red state, pointing out Democrats held the governor’s office for 24 years before Republican Bill Owens won it in 1998.

William Dean Singleton, chairman and publisher of The Denver Post, delivered the University of Denver commencement address to about 800 students receiving graduate degrees.

When a politico said DU’s commencement address by Dean Singleton was so interesting it should be published on The Spot in its entirety, I didn’t have to go far to track down a copy.

William Dean Singleton is chairman and publisher of The Denver Post.

He offered a good news/bad news scenario for the the roughly 800 University of Denver students receiving master’s or graduate-level diplomas last Friday.

Singleton, who also received an honorary doctorate degree, mentioned Steve Jobs, the national debt and even Colorado College hockey.

“In a Gallup poll last week, nearly 60 percent of Americans said they didn’t believe the next generation of Americans would live better lives than their parents,” he said. “That is not the American Dream that the Greatest Generation left for mine. I’m ashamed we’re leaving it for you.”

President Barack Obama holds up his American Jobs Act bill on Sept. 27, 2011, during his speech at Lincoln High School. Obama will return to Denver in late October for a campaign stop.

Sources close to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign say he will visit Denver the week of Oct. 24, for a reception and discussion possibly at the Ritchie Center on the campus of the University of Denver.

Details of the visit have yet to be finalized, but sources say the event will be sponsored by Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee.

The conversation on whether state taxes should be increased will flare up again next Wednesday when a team of researchers at the University of Denver unveils the long-awaited second phase of a study on the state’s tax system.

University officials say the Center for Colorado’s Economic Future will release the next portion of the study at an event on the school’s campus. Lawmakers last year asked the center to do a comprehensive study of the state’s tax policy, something last done 53 years ago.

The first part of the study, released in February, said that the state cannot grow its way out of its budget woes and will see a “persistent structural imbalance” in which spending pressures – primarily from school enrollment and caseload growth in Medicaid – always exceed revenues.

Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, has pointed to the findings as a reason for his pushing a five-year, $3 billion tax hike that will go before voters in November. The money would temporarily reverse deep cuts to education that have been enacted the last three years.

Proposition 103, if approved by voters in November, would increase the state’s income tax, now at a flat 4.63 percent, for five years to its 1999 level of 5 percent. Meanwhile, the initiative would — also for five years — raise the state’s sales tax, which is now at 2.9 percent, to 3 percent. That is where it was until it was reduced in 2000.

Phase II of the DU study is expected to ponder revenue options that might include broadening the state’s tax base, including possibly taxing services instead of just imposing a tax on the sale of goods.

Passenger vehicles play a much smaller role in the battle to decrease ground ozone levels in the Front Range than one might think given the mandate that every car and light truck in the metro area pass biennial emissions tests.

Given that older cars will continue to find their way to the scrap yard, it’s reasonable to expect that in the near and extended future fighting ground ozone by targeting cars will be a less and less useful activity.

And by the way, cars built in 1996 and later actually know when they are polluting and they don’t keep the information a secret from you or your mechanic. Ever notice that “Check Engine” light?

A packed house is expected this afternoon in the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chambers as the analysts behind the biggest study in decades of Colorado’s tax structure discuss their findings.

The report, to be heard at 1:30 p.m., was done by the University of Denver’s Center for Colorado’s Economic Future at the behest of lawmakers.

University officials said the presentation today is likely to be just an overview of the full report that is to be released in a few weeks,

The report is expected to illustrate how Colorado’s budget problems will not be solved even if the economy comes roaring back.

“Economists are finding a major structural imbalance underlying the fiscal workings of state government will ensure that Colorado’s budget problems persist unless something is done,” a statement from university officials said. “Colorado cannot expect to grow its way out of the problem, the study finds, and even a return to booming economic times won’t solve fiscal problems that will continue to plague the state.”

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.